Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Disaster Recovery topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Emergency operations: County reports progress and ongoing needs nearly one year after Hurricane Helene
Summary
McDowell County’s emergency operations reported ongoing recovery work 349 days after Hurricane Helene, including debris removal, personal property debris removal (PPDR) counts, private roads and bridges backlog, housing repairs and slow hazard mitigation progress; a resilience ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 27.
William Keller, emergency operations staff, told the McDowell County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 8 that recovery from Hurricane Helene remains active across several fronts nearly one year after landfall.
Keller said the county’s EOC has been operating 349 days on Helene matters and that four primary recovery areas remain: debris management, private roads and bridges, housing repairs, and hazard mitigation including emergency watershed protection for stream stabilization. He provided the Army Corps’ debris figure of 1,365,282 cubic yards removed, and said the personal property debris removal (PPDR) program received 1,441 parcel applications; the Army Corps awarded 1,294 to contractors and completed 1,104 parcels to date.
Answering a commissioner question about PPDR eligibility, Keller said FEMA sets eligibility criteria and that debris on wooded (not maintained) land is generally ineligible. He described the county’s role as a liaison: “Ultimately ... those contractors aren't working for the county. They're working for the US Army Corps. That is who their contract is with. And FEMA is the 1, that works directly with the Army Corps. We're actually the liaisons trying to troubleshoot any issues that come up.”
On waterways and the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, Keller said the Army Corps ended the initial waterway debris mission and the county and state are discussing a second waterway mission; the county has submitted over 200 coordinates for additional removal. For erosion and stream rechanneling concerns, Keller said residents should use the county website’s Helene update page to register interest in the EWP program through the local soil and water office.
Keller said nearly 400 private roads and bridges submitted interest forms to the state; progress on state programs to repair bridges and driveways is slow and some areas remain inaccessible to standard emergency vehicles. He said the state opened a second program allowing residents who used their own funds to repair bridges or driveways post‑Helene to apply for up to 50% reimbursement and provided the state website ncdps.gov/helene/prb for details.
On housing, Keller said VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) efforts have enabled 478 homes repaired, 29 repairs pending and 26 rebuilds planned or in progress, with partners such as Samaritan’s Purse and Baptist on Mission. He said 14 families currently remain in FEMA direct housing.
Keller described slow movement on hazard mitigation applications (35 acquisition applications, 21 elevations, and 12 landslide applications) and noted long processing times at state and federal levels, including unresolved hazard mitigation applications from 2021 still under review.
He invited the public to a resilience and reflection ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 9:30 a.m. at Old Fort Elementary School (or indoors if weather requires) to mark the one‑year anniversary and honor those lost.
Ending: County officials said recovery will be multi‑year and emphasized coordination with state and federal partners; residents with debris, stream erosion or bridge/driveway damage were directed to county and state webpages for program information and to engage county liaison staff if they encounter eligibility issues.
